USAFirst U.S. Passport Online: America.gov Will Let You Take the Passport Photo at Home
Rubio, 29 Sept 2026: first passports fully online on America.gov from next year, photo taken on your phone. The photo is still 2 x 2 in, white background.
Key points
5 points- On September 29, 2026 Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: «Starting next year, Americans will be able to apply for their first passport entirely online.»
- Sign-in is through login.gov; the form is pre-filled with information the government already holds.
- You take the photo yourself on your phone or upload one from your device, see it inside a mock-up of the finished passport and can retake it.
- Payment is online, with real-time status and an estimated delivery date.
- Goal: by the end of 2027 most Americans can apply for a passport or a passport card on America.gov; a new passport design follows in 2028.
Americans applying for their first U.S. passport will no longer have to print forms or get a photo at a drugstore. At the launch of the new federal portal America.gov on September 29, 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: «Starting next year, Americans will be able to apply for their first passport entirely online.»
How the online first-passport application will work
Rubio walked through the new process on stage. According to the State Department transcript:
- You ask America.gov how to apply for your first passport and sign in with login.gov.
- You see the information the government already has about you, so you don’t retype it.
- The photo: you take a new one yourself on the phone, at home, or upload one directly from your device.
- You see your photo in the context of the finished passport and can retake it until you like it.
- You pay online. Then you get real-time status and an estimated delivery date.
In Rubio’s words, that means «no printing forms, no drugstore hostage photo», no appointment and no line. By the end of 2027, the stated goal is for «the vast majority of Americans» to be able to apply for a passport or a passport card on America.gov. A redesigned U.S. passport is planned for 2028.
The photo rules stay the same
A photo taken at home still has to meet the U.S. passport photo standard. The Foreign Affairs Manual (8 FAM 402.1) and the State Department’s embassy pages list it:
| Requirement | U.S. passport photo |
|---|---|
| Size | 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) |
| Head | 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25–35 mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head |
| Background | Plain white or off-white |
| Age of photo | Taken within the last 6 months |
| Glasses | No glasses, unless they cannot be removed for medical reasons |
| Pose | Full face, directly facing the camera, neutral expression, both eyes open |
USAUS Passport · requirements
8 FAM 402.1 also says retouching of the face and beauty filters from social media or mobile apps are not acceptable — Rubio joked on stage that you «probably can’t use those filters to make you look 50 years younger».
What hasn’t been announced yet
The remarks did not give an exact launch date, file-size limits for the uploaded photo or the rules for children. Until the online service opens, a first passport is still applied for in person with a printed 2 x 2 photo.
Want a 2 x 2 photo now? Make one on our U.S. passport photo page.
04Questions
5 answers01Can I apply for my first U.S. passport online?
Not yet. On September 29, 2026 the Secretary of State said first passports can be applied for entirely online on America.gov starting next year.
02Can I take my own passport photo at home?
In the new America.gov process, yes: you take the photo on your phone or upload one from your device and preview it on a mock-up of the passport.
03Do the photo rules change?
No change was announced. A U.S. passport photo is 2 x 2 inches, head 1 to 1 3/8 inches, white or off-white background, within 6 months, no glasses.
04Will passport cards be available online too?
The stated goal is that by the end of 2027 most Americans can apply for a passport or a passport card on America.gov.
05Is there a new passport design?
Yes, a redesigned U.S. passport is planned for 2028.
05Official sources
- U.S. Department of State — Secretary of State Marco Rubio at President Trump's America.gov Event (September 29, 2026)
state.gov - Foreign Affairs Manual, 8 FAM 402.1 — Passport Photographs
fam.state.gov - U.S. Embassy in Poland — Photo Requirements
pl.usembassy.gov
Author: Yevhen Kravchenko. Published . Checked against official sources on .
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